May 8, 2020
Two plump males on April 18, 2020 at the Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) © Susan Scott
On March 5th, with guidance from Pacific Golden-Plover expert, Wally Johnson, I launched a website, www.koleacount.org, asking residents to count Hawaii’s Kolea.
My inspiration for this project, sponsored by the Hawaii Audubon Society, came from readers who for years have been notifying me of the coming and going of these migratory shorebirds. Readers also frequently ask if the birds’ numbers are increasing or decreasing. But because the last Hawaii count was in 1968, no one knows.
And so, to record Kolea arrival and departure dates, and begin population estimates, I started a study labeled a pilot because I didn’t know how it would go. Two months later, here’s how it went:
- Number of Kolea counters: about 200. This is approximate because some people entered their names twice (with different bird entries) and some left name and email spaces blank.
- Total number of Kolea reported: 1,462: Most reports, with some duplicates, were on Oahu.
- Neighbor island reports: Kauai, 53, Maui, 4, Big Island, 24.
- U.S. mainland reports: 4. One each from Las Vegas, Houston, Florida and Long Island. Not likely Kolea, says Wally, but perhaps other plover species. No photos accompanied these reports.
- 143 birds were entered as lone individuals. Most were in home, school, and church yards.
- Highest count in one area: 174. Turtle Bay’s Arnold Palmer Golf Course.
- Second highest: 154. Tom Fazio Golf Course, also at Turtle Bay.
- Third highest: 75 each. Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) and Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery (Kaneohe).
- Departure dates: varied. The differences in reported departure dates were wide. At Punchbowl Cemetery on April 19, Craig and I counted 63, down from the high of 75. This number decreased every two days until my last visit on April 26 when only one slim bird in winter plumage remained.
A thin bird in winter plumage (left) squabbling over territory with a female, April 25, 2020, Punchbowl © Susan Scott
- My own fat, beautiful male, Jake, was still foraging on Kailua’s Mid-Pacific Golf Course yesterday, May 7. Today, May 8, a female was sighted in the same area. Time will tell if these two migrate.
Our Jake, April 17, Bluestone Condominiums, Kailua.© Susan Scott
- Some nicknames: Fiddler (on the roof); Charlene (formerly Charlie); Lady, Olaloa, Maile, Patrick, Irving, Harriet, Floyd, YooHoo, Yukon, Chester, Champ, and many more.
Olaloa, April 1, 2020, Mililani Mauka. © Photo by Vera Arita.
This early citizen science count wasn’t perfect but it’s a good start. This summer I’ll make a list of Hawaii’s major parks, cemeteries, golf courses and campuses, and ask volunteers to sign up to monitor one or more areas several times during the season.
Individual bird entries, of course, are still welcome any time, including birds that didn’t migrate.
Stand by for the count’s next phase. I’ll inform you here on my site, on the Kolea website, and via email to those who shared email addresses with me. You can also contact the Hawaii Audubon Society at hiaudsoc@gmail.com for information.
Craig and I had a good time this spring scouting plovers. Now I’m enjoying reading counters’ comments, admiring the submitted photos and sorting dates, locations and numbers. I hope your Kolea counting is as much fun. Thank you for participating.